just try to keep up
by icanhearyouglaring
Summary: 10. We need a team picture. Really. 11. The first storms of the season are always the worst. A one-shot collection. Spitfire.
1. Chapter 1

This is where I'll post some of the prompts I get from tumblr. Have fun. (Best viewed in 3/4)

* * *

**_Anon asked: One of the two (Artemis/Wally) gets turned into a four year old and the other has to take care of them alone while the rest of the Team goes on a mission to figure out how to fix them?_**

**_~o~_**

"Stop laughing," Artemis slams her hand against the dry-erase board they placed on an easel, "And start guessing!"

She waves her marker at her partner, who dissolves into giggles. Robin motions for her to continue drawing, even through his laughs at her feeble attempts this round. She can hear Zatanna, Raquel, and Wally laughing, too. She sort of wishes she had pulled Wally's name from the hat, because they sort of have their own shitty-drawing language- but such is fate.

"I'm not an artist." She grumbles before she wipes away her bankand starts drawing money bags. Robin calls out '_bank, bank, cash, bank, thief, cat burglar, catwoman, bank_'. Artemis draws a crude, smug stick figure next to the money bags. As time begins to run out, she throws a line with two boxes on the top. The alarm on the timer they're using dings just as Robin shouts, '_WALLSTREET_'.

"Yes!" Artemis throws down the black marker and sighs, "You draw next-"

The lights in the cave go out for a few seconds and everyone tenses. That shouldn't be happening.

Aqualad stands up first, "M'gann."

_Everyone is linked._ M'gann nods and looks to Robin, _Are you picking up anything strange? I sense something… strange… _

_I sense it, too.. It's almost like magic…_ Zatanna scans the room with her eyes.

Robin nods as he types on his wrist and a screen materializes, _There's an unfamiliar energy source in the cave…I'm trying to locate it now. _

"Can I play next?" A merry voice chirps from above them all. Eight sets of eyes fly up, but only seven people tense for battle.

"Oh no," Superboy groans and his shoulders drop, "Not this guy."

"Superboy! This is where you live? Are these your friends? Introduce me!" The small man floats down to the teenagers level. He wears a green pinstripe suit, an equally green top hat, and Artemis is pretty sure he's holding a miniature cane behind his back. She glances at her teammate, _You know him?_

Superboy grimaces, _Unfortunately. Mr. Myxlptlk._

_Bless you_, Zatanna nods.

_No, that's his name. A mouthful, I know. He's from another dimension. He can bend reality, extremely powerful, but not usually dangerous. He just likes coming here to bother Superman— and me, ever since he found out I existed. It's all a game to him. _

The dimension hopping magic man hovers in place as the team surrounds him on all sides.

_Be ready for anything,_ Aqualad orders as his tattoos begin to glow. Artemis isn't in uniform, but she does have her collapsable crossbow strapped to her leg, and her hand hovers over the clasp. She takes a look around the circle. Raquel's hands glow, Zatanna is whispering something to herself, Robin has his hand over his belt, M'gann is starting to lift off the ground, Wally's fists are rising, and Superboy- he just looks like he's got a headache coming on.

"You kids look like a little angry. You don't want me to play?" Myxlptlk pouts, and Artemis snorts.

"We're not kids." She quips, as her fingers tug on the top of her bow.

Myxlpltlk turns to her and places a hand on his chin, "Really? You sure look like a kid."

As soon as 'kid' leaves his mouth, he snaps his fingers.

That's the last sound she hears before it all goes dark.

**~o~**

Wally is used to having 'weird days'. He's a superhero. It comes with the territory. Still, he's going to have to put today pretty high up on his list of weird days.

When the smoke begins to clear where Artemis is standing, she's gone.

"What did you-" Wally starts to shout, but he's cut off by the floating man's loud, snorting laughter.

The speedster runs to where the archer had been just a second ago, and the remaining smoke blows away. Suddenly, Wally sees exactly why the dimension tourist is laughing. He kind of wants to laugh- and he would, if the situation wasn't so insane.

On the ground, in a miniature version of the civvies she'd been wearing, is… a child.. thing… that _kind of, sort of_, looks a lot like Artemis. Her hair is barely past her shoulders and sticking in all directions and a tiny olive hand brushes it out of her big grey eyes slowly. She looks awfully confused- but Wally's a little more concerned about the crossbow sitting in her lap. He swipes it away before she can notice it in her grogginess.

"Myxlptlk!" Superboy barks angrily, "Change her back, now!"

The man floats upside down and flies higher, "Where's the fun in that?"

Wally places the crossbow in another room before he speeds back and picks up his… miniature… girlfriend…_ So weird._ She doesn't protest when he holds her at his hip, in fact, she leans into him and yawns.

"Change her back!" Wally growls, and the tiny Artemis doesn't stir.

"I like her better like this," Mr. Myxlptlk decides, "She's a lot less of a buzzkill this way. And the only thing I'm changing is my mind. I don't want to play with you spoilsports- I want to see where Superboy lives! I've seen Metropolis, but let's see what Happy Harbor has to offer."

All at once, Kaldur, M'gann, Conner, and Raquel jump towards the flying man, but he disappears in a plume of green smoke.

Zatanna rushes over to where Wally is still standing with Artemis, who is now asleep in his arms.

Wally looks desperately between the two girls, "Can you fix her?"

"I can try." Zatanna takes a deep breath and extends her arms toward Artemis before shouting, "_Nrut Simetra kcab otni a neet_!"

The most she does is wake Artemis up because of the yelling. And this time, the little girl is not in a daze. Her eyes widen when she sees Zatanna pointing her hands at her. She tries to scoot away, but Wally hangs onto her.

"Where am I?" She struggles in his grasp and looks up. Her eyes begin to well up with tears and she struggles harder.

"Artemis, stop." Wally tries to hang onto her, but she's so wiggly.

"No!" Her tiny teeth dig into his arm and he yelps and lets go of her, but she doesn't hit the ground. Wally rubs his arm as M'gann levitates the tiny demon into the air.

"_Ega Simetra_." Zatanna tries again, and again, and again- before Conner stops her.

"Myxlptlk is really powerful in this dimension. I don't think you're going to be able to fix this. I'm not even sure if Doctor Fate could," Conner glances at Artemis, who is trying to fight M'gann's hold, "The only one who can reverse this is Myxlpltk, and the only way he'll do it is if we find him and make a deal."

Wally glares at the still-dissipating green smoke and his nails dig into his palms, "Then let's go find him. He said he was going to see Happy Harbor."

There's a general murmur of agreement when they all hear sniffles.

"Lemme down… Please." Artemis has stopped fighting- and big tears make their way down her round cheeks. _Ouch, my soul,_ Wally thinks, before he motions for M'gann to bring Artemis down to the ground. The Martian gently places the blonde on her feet and Wally stoops down to her level.

"Hey, don't cry- we're the good guys. You're safe." He gives her the best 'hero' smile he can, but she doesn't stop sniffling and wringing her grey shirt in her hands. The entire team watches and waits for her to react when Wally holds his hand out to her. "Artemis?"

She starts to reach out for his hand but stops herself just short of contact, "Who are you people? Where is my Mom?"

Wally bites his lip and looks around. _H E L P_. M'gann lets out a quick 'oh' and flies out of the room. _Yes, thank you, that is so much help_, Wally grimaces. He looks to his best friend for assistance but the Boy Wonder is busy… taking _pictures_-

"Seriously!" Wally rolls his eyes and takes Artemis' little hand before he says, "We're a team of heroes. I'm Kid Flash. And that guy with the cape over there, you see, the one taking pictures instead of being helpful? That's Robin."

Artemis sways and her free hand comes up to her mouth, "My daddy don't like heroes. He'll be mad you kidnapped me."

Wait what.

"We didn't kidnap you, I swear! Uh-" Wally is saved from answering when M'gann swoops back into the room with a phone - Artemis' cell phone- in hand.

"I'm called her mom. She wants to talk to her." M'gann smiles as she hands Artemis the phone. It looks enormous in her hands.

"Momma? Momma, I'm sorry I got kidnapped-" Artemis turns away from Wally and he takes the opportunity to address the team.

"You guys go find him. I'm going to stay here with Artemis in case he comes back."

Kaldur nods and there's a noticeable change in his demeanor, "Miss Martian, Rocket, Robin, take the bioship and scan the skies of Happy Harbor. Superboy, Zatanna, and I will take the Supercycle and search from the ground."

"The little imp likes to bother me- trust me, he won't be too hard to find." Superboy sighs, "We just need to make sure no one else gets involved in his antics."

Artemis tugs on Wally's pant leg and holds the phone to him, "Momma wants to talk to you, Kid."

_Oh…Uh_. He takes the phone and accepts his fate, "Hi, Paula."

"She sounded very convinced she had been kidnapped. I told her you were taking care of her for the day. She shouldn't be difficult… But Wally- tell me this will be fixed soon."

Wally glances at the little blonde by his legs, "We're working on it now. Don't worry."

Paula sighs, "If I didn't, what kind of mother would I be? Please let me know as soon as you've gotten her back to normal. And she likes gummy bears. And coloring books. And do not let her near a bow."

"I've got it all handled," Wally half-believes himself, "All our friends are here. I'll call you the minute she's back."

"My daughter is lucky to have such great friends. Thank you so much. Goodbye."

"Bye," He presses the end button- and finds that all of his friends have abandoned him (without so much as a goodbye glance) with the pint-sized version of his girlfriend. _Such great friends._

Artemis tugs on his pant leg again, "I have to pee."

**~o~**

He finds a League-themed coloring book and a twelve pack of crayons in the storage closet M'gann uses to hold her craft supplies in. Perfect for the little girl who has been chanting '_I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored_' for the last six minutes. When he zips back into the lounge, Artemis is not on the couch where he left her.

"Artemis? Where are you?"

Silence is his answer. _Okay, she couldn't have gotten far, don't panic-_

A smothered giggle echoes in the empty room.

"Artemis, come out here, I've got a surprise for you-"

A voice squeaks near his feet, "A s'prise?" _Thump_.

Artemis crawls out from under the coffee table, rubbing a spot on her head.

"You okay?" Wally touches the spot she's rubbing but she pulls away.

"I'm okay. S'prise?"

He points to the crayons and the book on the very table she had been hiding under. Her eyes light up.

"Colors? I can colors?"

Wally nods with a bright smile, and Artemis pulls herself up onto the couch and stands on the cushions as she hugs him tightly.

"Thank you! I love colors." She plops back down to the floor and he pulls the table closer to the couch so she can reach everything. She flips through the book, skipping over Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Batman, and Superman, until she gets to a page with Hawkgirl on it. She pulls a green crayon from the box and colors in the lines with careful precision. Wally's comm goes off just as she finishes the first boot. Robin sounds a tad breathless as he says,

'_KF, we've made contact. We have to make him take off his shoes before he goes back to where he came from and changes Artemis back.'_

_"Alright, Robin, thanks for the update. Steal his shoes."_

_'A little harder than it sounds.'_

Wally's comm turns off and he picks a red crayon from the box. The page next to Hawkgirl is Red Tornado.

"Can I color him?"

Artemis doesn't stop coloring, "As long as you don't mess me up."

So much pressure. He colors at a slow pace, mostly because he doesn't want her to get mad at him.

"So… you like Hawkgirl?" He asks.

Artemis nods slowly, "She can fly, and throw things."

"Cool."

"Yup," She says as she picks a brown crayon out of the box, "But don't tell Daddy I say that."

Wally blinks, "Oh?"

"Daddy don't like heroes. So I can't like 'em, 'cept I do."

"Why?" He really shouldn't be asking, considering he already knows. But- she's never really gone into much detail.

"Umm, heroes do good things. Save people, fix stuff. Better than Daddy's friends. They break things, and hurt people. I don't like hurting."

"That's a good reason." Wally nods and switches his red for a yellow.

"You're a hero? You got powers." She stops coloring and waits for a response.

"Oh yeah, I'm Kid Flash. I can run really fast." He wiggles his eyebrows and she laughs.

She puts down the crayon in her hand. "Show me."

He runs around the couch twice and she has to fix her hair out of her eyes because of the air he just swept around her.

"See, super speed." He grins at her.

Artemis' eyes glow with excitement, but then he notices she isn't looking at him. He turns to find Wolf strolling into the room.

"Is that a doggie?" She jumps off the couch cushion and heads straight for the wolf that is looking at her like a stranger. _Oh shit_.

"I love doggies!"

**~o~**

'_Please tell me you got him to take off his shoes.'_

"Not quite, KF, still working on it." Robin throws a paint can at the imp, but he disappears just in time for Conner to get a face full of orange paint.

'_Artemis has been riding Wolf like some sort of dog-horse hybrid and she won't get off and Wolf won't let me take her down.'_

"Take pictures."

'_Get. The damn. Shoes._'

**~o~**

Eventually, Artemis' head begins to droop as Wolf parades her around the Cave. The excitement of the day is catching up to her, and Wally sees his chance to get through the day without incident.

"Artemis, want to watch a movie?"

"Movie?" She yawns as Wolf stops near the lounge couch. She rolls off of him, pats his head, and lies down across two cushions. Wolf lies between the couch and the coffee table, also tired out. Wally picks out her favorite from underneath the T.V. and puts it in the dvd player.

"Alice in Wonderland." He says, as he takes a seat next to her.

"I like Alice." She sits back and watches as he goes through the main menu and presses play. "Jade likes Alice too."

She's a trooper, because she actually makes it a third-way through the movie before she starts snoring, high pitched, squeaky snores that make Wally laugh. He runs to pick up a blanket and pillow from his room at the Cave. Artemis doesn't resist when he picks up her head a little to put the pillow in place, and she grips the throw blanket with both hands after he covers her.

He mentally pats himself on the back. Today has been so freaking weird. Ninja girlfriend gets turned into a four year old by a transdimensional traveller?_ Definitely in the top 10._

**~o~**

When they wake up in the morning, Artemis is back to her normal age, Wally and Wolf are cuddling on the floor, and a collage of photos and a pair of really strange-looking shoes sit before them on the coffee table.


	2. Chapter 2

**jncera: Here's a Spitfire drabble prompt: peaceful stargazing in the forest turns into wolf pack attack. yikes.**

**~o~**

"C'mon," Artemis takes her boyfriend's hand and continues whispering, "Conner and M'gann already ditched to go make out. It's our turn."

"_Artemis_." He blushes and no one can tell in the dim lighting but her, not that anyone was paying them any attention anyways. It had been decided that the Team would go camping on their weekend off because they hadn't actually gone camping the first time and they had new friends to 'initiate'. Said new friends were currently engaged in a thrilling round of 'who can tell the scariest story' and clearly Zatanna was winning, seeing as Raquel had her hands over her face and was peeking through her fingers. It wasn't exactly fair, because Zatanna was using magic to emphasize the more powerful points in her story, but _oh well. _

"What?" She laughs, pulling his hand, "They won't even notice we're gone, _Ninja Boyfriend_."

It really doesn't take much more than that to convince him.

The forest they're in has a narrow river winding through it and when they reach the bank, Artemis finds a nice dry rock for them to sit on. She lives for these moments; the ones when it's just them and no one is trying to kill them and they can just _be_, together. They lie back on the rock and use Wally's jacket as a pillow and watch the stars and it's all so normal but at the same time not. In Gotham, the stars don't shine like this. Wally points out all the constellations he can find and Artemis listens as he goes on and on about how if he was a pirate, he'd never get lost at sea. Eventually, she cuts him off and raises a question,

"Which do you think would be cooler: being a pirate or a ninja?"

"Define _cooler_."

Artemis shakes her head, "You're stuck in a room with no doors or windows. There are two red buttons, side by side on one of the walls. One says pirate. One says ninja. Which one do you press?"

He rolls onto his side to meet her eyes, "How did I get in the room if there are no doors or windows?"

"They put you in before they added the roof. Pirate or ninja."

He takes a long moment to contemplate before he asks, "Who are _they_?"

"Wally."

They both laugh, until a loud growl (that isn't Wally's stomach, she knows that sound) interrupts their moment.

Wally freezes. "That wasn't me."

"I know…"

They sit up and Artemis unfolds Wally's jacket before she hands it to him slowly. Her eyes scan the river, but she doesn't see any unusual movement. They stand and she checks the tree line behind them while Wally looks the other way. Nothing- but it's too quiet in the forest now. Her right hand drifts to the collapsable crossbow hidden in her boot.

"Uh, Babe?"

Her fingers still on the top of the weapon and she murmurs, "Hm?"

"Please tell me Conner brought Wolf and didn't tell us."

Another growl sounds, and this time she places it as coming from the other side of the river. With a fluid spin, she pulls her crossbow out and and opens it up. Wally gives her an incredulous look.

"Where were you keeping _that_?"

"Not important," She aims her crossbow at the shadow coming out of the tree line on the other side of the river, "That's a big wolf."

"We're not that lucky," he says in a low tone, "He's not alone."

Sure enough, four other wolves reveal themselves, and their sharp eyes follow the teenagers every twitch.

"What do we do?" Unwillingly, Artemis thinks back to the time her dad left her and Jade in the wilderness for a night with only a pack of matches and Jade's short sword. _Bastard_. She steps closer to Wally, thinking this might not be the right time to curse her dad.

"I've read you're supposed to be really loud and stand your ground." Wally suggests.

Three of the wolves start nearing the water.

Artemis accidentally makes eye contact with what appears to be the alpha. The beast bares its teeth.

"Or we could run?" She hangs onto her crossbow and jumps into the air, knowing Wally will catch her (_which he does_) and they'll speed off back to camp (_which they do_).

"Just our luck, right?" Wally chuckles as they stumble back into camp.

Artemis folds up her weapon and rolls her eyes, "Totally."

The smiles forming on their faces disappear as soon as they take in the state of their campsite. The two large tents are in shambles, ripped in some places, with some poles sticking out at odd angles. The fire has been trampled, embers dying before their eyes. Artemis reopens her crossbow and Wally stands next to her, ready.

"What-" She has to shake herself, "What happened?"

A growl sounds behind the broken tents.

"No way-" Wally groans, and Artemis takes a step back so that their backs are touching.

"Where the heck are the others?" She takes a look around, but there are no signs of their friends, only six wolves forming a circle around her and Wally. She sneers at the one taking steps towards her and aims her crossbow at it. That just makes it angry.

A light catches her eye behind the wolf. She gasps in horror.

"Robin!"

The Boy Wonder is _covered_ in blood and she's terrified to think that all of it's his. He's in a tree, holding a shaky finger to his lips. And then he collapses. And falls out of the tree.

"No!" Wally yells, and Artemis screams, but it's too late. The wolves nearest Robin have already launched themselves at the small boy. She fires arrows at the wolves, and Wally speeds off to knock them away from his best friend.

Her first arrow makes contact- and the wolf disappears in a plume of smoke. As do the other wolves_ and Robin_. Wally runs right through it.

Artemis sees red.

"What the fuck-"

"_Pots eht noisulli_!"

Before their eyes, the camp reassembles itself- tents in pristine condition and the fire roaring. The rest of the team emerges from behind the tents, in various stages of laughter. Robin is cackling, wiping at his eyes. Zatanna has a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her own insane laughter, while Raquel is leaning against Kaldur, failing to control her breathing and snorting giggles. Conner and M'gann are laughing without shame. Kaldur isn't laughing, but he wears a smile that angers Artemis more than all the others.

"You guys are the worst!" She angrily tucks her crossbow back into her boot and balls her fists. "That wasn't funny!"

Wally appears at her side and nods, glaring at Robin as he puts his arm over her shoulders, "Yeah, so not cool."

Robin holds his hands up, "Wasn't my idea- at first."

Artemis takes a dangerous step forward, "I _cannot_ _believe_ you'd-"

Zatanna levitates graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows between them, "You guys were going to miss this, and you skipped out on scary story time - so we just thought you should get the full experience. We don't go camping everyday."

If the magician hadn't been giggling throughout her explanation, Artemis might have calmed down a bit.

Instead, she contemplates taking her crossbow back out. Wally squeezes her shoulder and she reads his body language. _It wasn't real, please calm down, actually you're cute when you're angry, but let's eat sugar until our adrenaline wears off, then we can be mad again._ She lets out a long, suffering sigh.

"All of you- watch your backs. No one is safe tonight." Artemis grabs a marshmallow and a bit of chocolate from the air as she gives everyone a warning look.

As they all settle down by the fire, Wally whispers in her ear,

"Ninja. Definitely ninja."


	3. Chapter 3

**Anon asked: Spitfire drunk hook up/party antics. Anything fluffy and teen years, please! And thank you :D**

**~o~**

**~AU~**

Maybe taking the party back to the dorms wasn't the best idea, but by that point, none of them were making too many great decisions.

Artemis and Raquel had ditched their heels back at the house party and Megan had had to be carried all the way back to their building. They slipped in through a side door to bypass the lobby and avoid questioning, because a bunch of beyond buzzed eighteen-nineteen-twenty year olds were sure to be stopped by the unlucky person at the front desk. The elevator ride was filled with shushing and shoving and if _any_ RA had seen them, they'd all have been written up and/or laughed at for the rest of the school year.

By the time they reached Artemis and Megan's room, Wally had sobered up a lot and Kaldur had his hands full supporting Raquel, Zatanna, _and_ Dick. Conner had his hands full with/of Megan. Everyone settled into the 14x16 room, stealing pillows from beds and making a half-assed circle on the floor while Artemis clawed through her closet in search of-

"Bingo." She pulled a tall, clear bottle from behind her hamper and set it in the circle. "Thank you, Jade."

Her boyfriend nodded his approval, as he uncovered the corny shot glasses she kept tucked under her bed, "Yes, thank you, Jade, for the imminent hangover."

Wally took a quick look around, "Who's in?"

"Just one more couldn't hurt." Megan giggled from her bed, where she was hanging upside down and waiting for a shot to be passed her way.

Conner put his hand up, "One more could hurt_ a lot_. You're cut off."

Wally rolled his eyes and passed a shot glass to Zatanna, who passed it to Dick, who passed it to Raquel, who examined the contents with a little pride.

"How many will this be?" She asked the room, but only Dick gave her a number, '_14_'. She nodded and kept the glass, "I'm still good."

Artemis climbed over her bed, and Wally, Zatanna, and Dick, to get to Megan's side of the room. She plugged in the star lights Megan had set up and flipped off the main light in the room, plunging their little after-party into a chilled ambience. She moved back over to her bed, where she opened her laptop and put on a good playlist before she grinned.

She squeezed in between Zatanna and Wally. "Gimme Lightning."

Lightning, the affectionately named double glass, found its way into her hands, filled with vodka_ with love_. The rest of the regular glasses were passed out until everyone but Megan had a little alcohol in their hands. Artemis scanned their little circle of friends and smiled. In the morning, she'd blame her sentimentality on the alcohol, but really-

"You guys are _seriously_ the best friends _ever_."

They all took a shot to that. Between the conversations that aren't funny and the consumption of even _more_ alcohol, Wally's arm found its way around her and at some point, they climbed up to sit on her bed and where did Kal and Raquel go-

"We should take pictures," Wally's whisper sent a pleasant warmth through her and she looked over to where he was pointing, "So they can't deny it in the morning. Maybe they'll give up and just get together already."

Artemis already had her phone out, so- why not? She bent over the side of her bed to take pictures of Dick and Zatanna, who were collapsed on top of each other in an uncomfortable-looking cuddle on the floor. She'll send the pictures to both of them in a few days. She looked over the other side of her bed and found Kal and Raquel asleep too, leaning against her closet and the wall. Both of their phones are in their laps, still open with 'Fun Run' flashing on the screens. Artemis took some more pictures before she carefully placed her phone somewhere at the end of her bed.

She pulled her boyfriend down with her and they maneuvered on her twin-sized bed until they fit, mostly. She was hot from the alcohol in her system, as was he, but the window was open and the breeze kept the room cool enough for them to cuddle comfortably.

"You're pretty sappy when you're drunk," Wally took a piece of her hair and twirled it around his fingers, "You know that?"

"Better than being Ms. Giggles."

"True," He tangled his fingers in her hair, "Although, next time, you should save the emotional speeches for when we get back, instead of making them on some dude's coffee table. I didn't even have time to get it on video."

Artemis sighed lightly, "Those words came straight from the heart, Slowpoke. I think 'Tanna got it though, if you're really upset."

Wally turned so their faces were nose to nose and smiled. The music that drifted from her laptop- how had that gotten under Megan's bed?- was drowned out by the sound of his breaths and the feel of his pulse underneath her fingertips overrode her instinct to move.

"Wanna go to the drive-in tonight?"

_Dork_. Artemis pressed a lingering kiss on his lips before she rolled her eyes and climbed a little bit more on top of him.

"Yeah."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Anon asked: First date jitters fluff?**_

_**~o~**_

Okay, making out in space was one thing (a pretty freaking awesome thing if he thought about it), but an actual date? _D-a-t-e?_ He might have played up the Flirt-Master persona, but Wally West was not prepared for the d-word. But then he'd been talking to Artemis before she went home and he'd asked her to go ice skating with him on Saturday and 'it's a date' slipped out somewhere and he's not even sure he knows _how_ to skate anymore and it's already Friday- _yeah, he's so not ready for this._

He has few options. One: Cancel. Totally not going to do that. Two: Get seriously injured so he can't go. Can't do that without her figuring it out and torturing him forever. Three: Ask for advice.

The advice thing would work- if he could pick a person to ask. His first thought is to ask Uncle Barry because _'hey, mentor, your mentee needs guidance_', but he's guaranteed a sex-talk if he goes that route and he doesn't need any residual awkwardness from that during his.. date. With Artemis.

That might be part of why he's so nervous. This isn't just some girl, this is _Artemis_: the snarky, apple-scented blonde who could kick his ass physically and verbally, who sang nursery rhymes wrong to cheer up small children, who saved his hide before he even met her, who died but not really, who smacked him when he was being "too-much", who tasted better than chocolate ice cream, whose callused fingers made his skin crawl in the best way, and _fuck_- this girl will be the death of him and they haven't even been on one date yet.

Wally picks up his phone and goes with option 3B: Conner.

To: Supey

9:32pm

'_DUDE. emergency_.'

It takes far too long for his friend to reply (three whole minutes).

From: Supey

9:35pm

'_What?!'_

To: Supey

9:35pm

_'I ASKED ARTEMIS TO GO SKATING WITH ME TOMORROW.'_

To: Supey

9:35pm

_'IT'S A DATE. A DA TE. HELP ME SUPEY'_

From: Supey

9:37pm

_'Have fun. Help what?'_

To: Supey

9:37pm

'_i donT KNOW WHAT TO DO. you have a girlfriend. what do i do_'

From: Supey

9:38pm

'_Do for what? Your date? Have fun?'_

To: Supey

9:38pm

'_ok 'have fun' isn't helping'_

To: Supey

9:39pm

_'im having a breakdown, dude, real advice please?'_

From: Supey

9:43pm

'_…What are you breaking down about?'_

To: Supey

9:44pm

_'i have a date w/ Artemis in less than 24 hrs. this is at the center of my breakdown. i don't want to ruin everything or do something dumb, which as u know, i am prone to do in front of her. so hELP ME'_

From: Supey

9:50pm

'_Relax. Artemis likes you and you obviously like her too. Have fun.'_

To: Supey

9:50pm

_'i thought we established that 'have fun' is NOT HELPING. and yah i like her, it's bc i like her that i'm freaking out. i don't even know what to do.' _

From: Supey

9:51pm

_'On dates, you have fun. If it's a good date, at the end, she'll say 'i had fun'. Look for the fun. Aim for fun. And relax. Goodnight wally.'_

To: Supey

9:53

_'…thanks con.'_


	5. Chapter 5

**_Anon asked: Some Spitfire Hurt/Comfort? Artemis breaks her foot on a mission, and Wally fusses over her while she's healing. Preferably season one/a bit after so we can get them in that adorable/awkward young love phase. ^^_**

**~o~**

_Team Year One, Mid-August._

_Mount Justice 19:23 _

Artemis winces when she hears Kaldur being slammed against the floor. She pauses her work and looks up from her station at the far side of the training area. Robin extends a hand to help his friend up and the two boys laugh together. Suddenly, Superboy drops down from the jump he must have taken and his landing shakes the cave floor enough that Robin and Kal end up on the ground again. She snorts. _Dorks_. She can't hear exactly what Superboy is saying, but judging by the way her boyfriend is now bent over with his hands on his knees, cackling madly, and how M'gann is smothering snickers, it has to be at least a _little_ funny.

Artemis sighs softly and pouts as she returns to fine tuning her new arrow prototype. After her and GA's last encounter with Merlyn, she definitely needed to step up her game.

Her pout turns into a sneer as she connects thin wires in an arrowhead. She wouldn't be doing much _stepping_ anytime soon. The sight of the heavy black boot on her right foot and the crutches leaning against the wall behind her are reminders of that. She sighs again and shuts the tip of the arrow._ Stupid- Stupid- Stupid-_

A tell-tale gust of air throws her ponytail back, and when she looks up, Wally is standing before her with a small grin. She glances behind him, and the rest of the team appears to be dispersing for the night. M'gann waves from the doorway and Artemis smiles back.

"Miss me?" He leans against the table so his face is suddenly very close to her own.

"Nope," She pops the 'p' as she scoots back in her chair, "You guys finished?"

Wally cracks his knuckles casually and he moves to grab her crutches for her, "Yeah, Kaldur's got to get to Atlantis for some ceremony, so we're done for the night."

"Thanks," her hands wrap around the handles just as his hands help her stand, "This sucks."

He throws her a sympathetic glance as he takes in the sight of the boot, "I'd be going _crazy_ if I couldn't run."

Artemis nods and they take the path the others had already made their way though, "I guess I should be happy it wasn't my arm, but this whole sit-by-and-watch thing isn't doing a lot of good for my sanity."

"You know what _would_ be good for your sanity?"

_It's the voice_, her mind screams at her to prepare herself for a cheesy line or an equally cheesy move that'll probably make her hit him so he won't notice how cute she thinks he is. _That voice._

"What?" She asks cautiously, setting herself up.

Instead of delivering the cheeky remark she'd been ready for, Wally disappears in a blur. She blinks twice. What a-

"This." He nearly knocks her over when he reappears with a dvd in hand- one that appears to be one of the early Harry Potter movies. He's beaming and she feels a lot less upset already - and _yeah_, watching a movie with her boyfriend would definitely be good for her at this point.

"Alright," She smiles, takes the movie from his hands, and wrinkles her nose, "But go take a shower first- you're all sweaty and you smell like… barbecue sauce?"

Wally doesn't even pretend to look offended. "That is _so_ cool!"

She hits him with her crutch.

"Babe, we talked about this," He gestures to his leg, and continues in a mock-serious tone, "My mom's been asking about the bruises and next time she does, I'm going to throw you under the bus and say it's a hickey. No matter where it is. And she'll never ever let you come over for din-"

She kisses him quickly, her laugh still on her lips.

**~o~**

Hermione decks the blond prick just as Artemis' cell phone starts ringing. Wally pauses the movie while she talks to her mom, who's '_just checking in_', which is actually code for '_come home, I miss you_'. Artemis promises to come right home as soon as they finish their movie and when she tucks her phone back in her boot, Wally gives her a strange look.

"What?" She follows his gaze to her black boot.

He clears his throat before wrapping his arm over her shoulder and pulling her closer, "Nothin'."

That's not nothing, she thinks as she gets comfortable against him. She sets her broken foot on the low coffee table where Wally has his own feet propped up. She's just pressed play when he takes the remote and pauses the movie again._ Definitely not 'nothin_'.

"What?" She asks again.

He lets out a heavy breath, "Okay- I'm just gonna say it. The boot is kind of depressing, so I asked Miss M if we could borrow her bedazzler tomorrow so you and I could decorate it because it's sad seeing you glare at it like you're actually considering amputating your leg."

Artemis blinks. Oh. A blush crawls up her neck and she's glad the lights are off. How did she get so lucky?

She swipes the remote from his hand and presses play, before she simply says, "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Only one rule- nothing stupid goes on the boot. It's bad enough I have to wear it when school starts." She laces her fingers with his free hand and he squeezes her shoulder.

She stares at the screen, trying (and failing) to avoid being charmed by the smug yet sweet smile he's wearing, and holds his hand a little tighter.


	6. Chapter 6

_**captalnrogers asked: Artemis/Wally prompt: One of the Valentines Days when Wally forgot. **_

**~o~**

Midterms _suck_. Especially when they're worth almost half your grade. Chewing on a pen cap, Wally glances at the clock. 2:17am. He's been at this whole '_studying_' thing for eight hours and he's pretty sure the pages of his physics notes have been branded into his brain by now. At least, he hopes so. He's only got one more day before the test, and if he gets a good enough grade on this, it means less stress during finals week.

He rubs at his eyes before he tosses his notes onto the coffee table. His arms stretch upwards and his back rewards him with a satisfying '_crack_'. While he's stretching, he takes a long look at his girlfriend, who's typing away on her laptop at the kitchen table. Her hair is up in a knot at the top of her head with plenty of pieces sticking in every direction. She's looking at the screen as though it's arguing with her (he knows _that_ look), and it probably is, considering she's writing a paper for a TA she loathes. He lies on the couch so that he can watch her work and still look like he's being productive.

The open physics book in his lap isn't nearly as entertaining as watching Artemis during a writing frenzy.

Even then, Wally finds himself yawning into his sleeve. Artemis stops typing and glances his way.

"You finally crashing?" She scoots back in her chair, pulling out her top knot and letting her hair loose. She tries to pull the kinks out, to no avail, "It's pretty late."

Wally places his book on the table next to his notes and rolls off the couch. He stands a little too quickly (_ha_!) and the world spins while his vision goes white.

He groans as he covers his eyes, "Ugh, all I see is light."

Artemis presses a few keys on her laptop and pushes it further away from her before she warns, "Don't go into the light."

He steps carefully around her Greek Myth project as he makes his way toward her, and mock-laments, "Sorry, light, old friend, can't meet up with you- My girlfriend doesn't approve."

"Damn straight." Artemis nods before lying her head in her arms on the table. Wally holds the back of her chair and tilts his head as he reads part of her paper.

"Ready?"

She sighs into her arms, "Nah. I have to finish this. You should go to bed. I woke you up pretty early yesterday."

His hands move to rub firm circles on the back of her tense neck, "I could probably study another hour."

Artemis hums, "Studying doesn't mean watching me fight with this paper while pretending to read."

"Maybe not according to _your_ dictionary," Wally shrugs, "It's pretty clear in _my_ latest edition."

Artemis lifts her head and places a hand on top of one of his, "Go to bed, Mr. Merriam-Webster, I'll be there as soon as I'm done."

He's about to protest, but he's interrupted by another yawn. Artemis sends him a knowing, only slightly pleading look, and he relents, dropping a kiss on her cheek before she can shoo him away.

"G'night, Babe. Love you."

Artemis smiles at him before she turns back to her laptop, "I love you too. Happy Valentine's Day, Wally."

He makes it six steps down the hall before he stops walking and swallows hard.

_Oh. Shit._


	7. Chapter 7

_**Anon asked: end up getting married in Vegas although we're total strangers AU. **_

_**~o~**_

"Zee," Artemis empties another packet of sugar into her cup, "I left a naked man in my bed."

"Nothing you haven't done before."

"His name is Wally West," Artemis takes a sip of her steaming coffee before she looks Zatanna in the eye, "Do you want to know how I discovered his name?"

Zatanna nods.

"An email- from the county, congratulating us on our marriage."

Zatanna is quiet for a long time. Artemis takes another gulp of coffee and watches people go about their lives outside the cramped Starbucks, wondering when her life had become a bad romantic comedy. Probably around the same time she agreed to go to Vegas with Zatanna for her father's last performance.

"Are you alright?"

Artemis nods, "I'm just… overwhelmed."

"Okay, just wanted to be sure before I ask," Zatanna reaches over the table, places a hand over hers, and asks, "Is he hot?"

"_Zatanna_."

"I'm just _asking_-" Zatanna pulls her hand back, "Wally is the kind of name you only hear in old after-school specials. I can't help you if I'm picturing an adolescent with catchphrases, overalls, and a baseball cap- help me help you-"

Artemis feels her face burning as she adjusts her sunglasses, "_Yes_- he's attractive. But that's _irrelevant_. I don't _know_ him!"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure you _know_ him, in the Biblical sense of the word." Zatanna waves a finger at Artemis' scarf-covered neck. Artemis glares at her friend and pointedly adjusts the scarf so her purpling hickeys are better hidden. The two women sit in silence as the reality of Artemis' situation hits them both._ I got married. In Vegas. To a stranger._

"What the _hell_ happened last night?" They ask each other in unison.

Zatanna picks up her paper cup and stands, "Let's find out. Back to the naked man we go."

"Hopefully he's still sleeping," Artemis grabs her coffee and they make their way out of the crowded coffee house, "I turned the shower on before I left so he'd think I was in there."

"Lying to your husband already? Bad way to start things out, Artemis." Zatanna opens their hotel's doors with a laugh, and Artemis trails behind her with a sour look on her face.

"Don't say the H-word." Artemis snaps, and immediately feels guilty. There has to be a silver lining somewhere in this mess. She walks faster and passes Zatanna just as they reach the elevators. She catches one that's just arrived and the two of them are the only ones in it when the doors close again. Artemis presses '_23_' and they shoot upwards. She crosses her arms. Uncrosses them. Looks up at the ceiling, searching for a camera. She crosses her arms again.

"_Calm down_, Artemis," Zatanna gives her shoulder a comforting squeeze, "If Britney Spears can get her marriage annulled within a few days, so can you."

Artemis pulls at the tips of her hair and groans, "Now I'm_ Britney Spears-_"

"That's not what I said."

The elevator dings as the doors open and Artemis digs through her purse for her room key as they walk down the long hallway. Zatanna had pulled a few strings and gotten her a complimentary suite, which is amazing, but right now, Artemis is most happy about how far it is from the elevator because _she's so __**not**__ ready to do this._

When they finally reach her door, Zatanna has to nudge her twice before she slips the key card into the reader and opens the door.

Maybe she should've knocked.

"Holy-" The sleeping, naked man is sleeping no more, and instead, is standing next to the bathroom door with nothing but a sheet on. "You're not in there?"

"P-Put your clothes on!" Artemis splutters as Zatanna closes the door behind her.

Wally hides his shock with a sneer, "I _would_, but I'm pretty sure they're in here-" he opens the bathroom door and a wall of steam hits all three of them, "And I thought you were too."

"Look- just-" Artemis waves her hand at the bathroom and he takes it as an invitation to rush in and shut the door behind him. Zatanna leads her deeper into the room and they take a seat on an off-white sofa. She places her warm coffee on a glass table and sighs. From the bathroom, a muffled '_what the fuck_' sounds and Artemis can't agree more.

What the fuck had she been thinking last night?

She holds her head in her hands as they wait for Wally to get dressed- so they can talk about this like adults- or freak out together. Zatanna rubs her back dutifully- until her cell phone rings and she rushes to pick it out of her purse.

"Hey- I-" Zatanna stops suddenly and listens to whoever called, "Oh. No, I understand. My friend is in a bit of trouble too…. Haha, of course… I'll be waiting… Don't go too far, Circus Boy."

She tosses her phone back into her purse and Artemis gives her a curious stare.

"Old friend. We met up last night and we made plans for lunch today, but he doesn't think he'll make it. I was just about to cancel on him, but he beat me to it." Zatanna laughs lightly, and Artemis doesn't think it quite reaches her eyes. She won't ask, though. Her problems are a little more concerning at the moment.

"Thanks for being here." She tries to smile.

Zatanna sighs, "Like I'd want to be anywhere else. This is better than t.v."

"I'm so lucky to have you." Artemis deadpans before she rolls her eyes. The door to the bathroom opens and she looks up. Wally comes out (_clothed_) with a hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"Your name _is_ Artemis, right?" He asks in a quiet, almost scared sounding voice, as he takes a seat across form the two women.

She nods.

"Oh thank god." He breathes a sigh of relief, "This would've been way worse if it wasn't."

"What?"

He extends his right arm towards her, and it's then that she notices the bold marking etched across his bicep. _Oh shit._ Thick, black script spells out her name across his skin, with an arrowhead at the end. It's still very red around the edges but- _fuck_. Her name is fucking tattooed on a stranger's arm-_ fuckity-fuck-fuck-_

"Why is she looking at me like that?" He asks Zatanna.

Zatanna shrugs as she nudges Artemis, "Fear of commitment?"

"I-" Artemis gathers her scattered thoughts, "We can fix this. We need to fix this."

Wally runs a hand through his hair, "Don't worry, Wifey. I'm handling it. I phoned a friend."

"This isn't '_Who Wants to be a Millionaire_'," she rolls her eyes, "How are you so calm about this? And do _not_ call me Wifey."

"Honestly?" he leans forward, "I'm saving all the freaking out for when my friend gets here. Right now, I have to be rational- underwhelmed- cool and collected."

Just as he leans back, his phone on the table starts buzzing repeatedly, with tens of messages coming in, one after the other.

"I thought I didn't get signal here- What the heck-" Wally picks up his phone and puts it on silent. Artemis watches him unlock his phone and his face turns from extremely confused to extremely horrified.

"What?" She asks, not entirely sure she wants to hear the answer.

"I.. am an _idiot_. A _dead_ _idiot_-" he stares at his phone like it's about to attack him, "I posted a status on Facebook last night, and Tweeted, and Snapchatted, and oh my god- _my mom is going to murder me_."

Artemis sends a pleading glance toward Zatanna, but all she gets from her friend is a mouthed '_after-school special'_.

"I hope your friend is a miracle worker." Artemis puts her head back into her hands.

There's a knock on the door but neither of the newlyweds moves from their horrified positions.

Zatanna stands, eager to get away from all the stress, "I'll go get it."

Artemis peeks at her husband through her fingers. He looks _so distressed._

"Hey, Wally," she reaches over the table to pull the phone out of his hand. She turns it off before she stands and says, "If it makes you feel any better, the only thing I really remember about last night… was the sex."

Wally loses his mopey look and, after a moment, he chuckles, "Me too."

When Dick and Zatanna enter the room arm-in-arm, they find the newlyweds laughing hysterically at each other, re-telling bits and pieces of the things they_ kind of, sort of_ remember about their night.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Anon asked: if you ever take spitfire prompts again the bar fight au would be excellent...**_

**~o~**

The buzz of the florescent lights above her do nothing to soothe her growing headache. She chews at the inside of her lip as her stomach growls, and the vending machine in the waiting room looks a lot more appetizing as the wait to get her hand stitched gets longer. The shitty first aid at the bar was keeping her from bleeding too badly, but Shayera had insisted on taking a taxi to the ER (before she ditched her there and went back to the bar for more violence). She hadn't actually cut her hand during the fight. In retrospect, crushing the glass in her hand before she took a swing at the creep with the shifty hands _wasn't_ her best move.

_Whatever_.

She blows a stray piece of hair out of her face and looks around at the other patients trapped in the gridlocked emergency room. _Broken toe, sprained knee, dislocated shoulder, paperwork, cough_- The automatic doors slide open and she smirks when two men come stumbling in, one looking extremely annoyed and the other looking worse for wear. That one has a dark bruise forming on his cheek and a split lip. She glances at his hands as they walk by, one clenched around the cuff of his blood-dusted lifeguard sweater, and she spots the bruised knuckles he's trying to hide. His friend stops him, points to the vacant chair across from her, and crosses his arms. Artemis appreciates the slightly-peeved gesture. _Mmm, that boy… _

Lifeguard-Boy sits and grumbles to himself as his friend approaches the sign-in desk. Artemis smiles at him as he walks away, and she hopes her hair isn't too mussed up from when she dodged that heel thrown at her in the bar. Her stomach growls again and her smile drops. _Okay, okay, I'll feed you if we ever get out of here_. She glances at her still-bleeding hand and the identification tag stuck on her wrist, debating the consequences of just leaving and dealing with it at home. She dismisses her hopes of escape with a sigh, knowing Shayera would find out and literally kick her ass at the gym on Tuesday.

"Rough night at the club, Beautiful?" Lifeguard speaks up.

Artemis immediately glares at him and his dumb raised eyebrow, "Rough night at the beach, Baywatch?"

"_Yeesh_," his flirtatious face falls into a fast frown, "Just asking."

"It's none of your business." She pulls her injured hand closer and looks at the clock on the wall, not checking the time, but giving him the cold shoulder. She's dealt with enough flirts tonight. She just wants to get her hand fixed, go home, get out of these devil heels, and eat all the leftover ravioli in the fridge. She taps her foot against the linoleum tile and avoids looking at Lifeguard. It's hard to do, what with his bright red hair and equally bright sweater. There's sand on his swimming trunks and in his hair and on his flip flops. But she's not looking. The few times she does accidentally peek at him, she notices a thin line of blood trailing from his forehead. She chews at the inside of her lip, her stomach growls again, and the noise of the buzzing lights gets stuck in her head until she speaks up, "You're bleeding."

He looks up from examining his dark, swollen fingers.

Artemis points to her forehead with her good hand and repeats, "You're bleeding."

He brings the already bloodied sleeve to his head and winces when he touches the small cut. He turns to find his friend, but the man in the black t-shirt is still in line, waiting to get the sign-in paperwork.

"Oh well." He says with a flippant shrug.

Artemis snorts and mutters under her breath, "_Oh well._"

"What?" He asks, hints of annoyance in his eyes. Artemis smirks. _Oh, what the hell. Might as well have a little fun while I'm stuck here._

"Nothing." She pretends to poke at the bandage on her hand.

"Tell me."

She leans forward, "You find out you have a head wound, and say '_Oh well_.'"

Lifeguard grimaces before his eyes light up, and he smoothly says, "You should see the other guy."

He's been waiting all his life to say that line; she can see it in his stupid sly face.

Artemis rolls her eyes. "If you're the one in the emergency room, he probably won."

He huffs and gestures at her hand, "Then you're obviously at the losing end of whatever bar fight you got into."

She shakes her head and gets distracted by the flashing lights outside. "Nope. I don't lose bar fights."

Lifeguard sits up just as the automatic doors slide open. "Then where's your '_other guy'_?"

Artemis points behind him, at the man being swept into the hospital on a stretcher. _Well, look who it is._ She would have needed six more shots to forget that icy blue hair piece attached to that creep. _I definitely didn't do enough to send him here though… Shay… _

Lifeguard's mouth drops open.

"You _didn't_?"

She nods seriously, despite her intense desire to laugh at his expression.

He shakes his head in disbelief, but before he can say another word, Black Shirt Guy returns with the mountain of paperwork required for first-time visitors. She's glad she's sort of a regular here. Deborah usually gives her a lollipop, but the old receptionist doesn't work weekends.

Black Shirt and Lifeguard fill out the paperwork together, seeing as Lifeguard's hand is a little beat up. He doesn't look like much of a physical fighter. He's got more of a runner's build. She absentmindedly wonders what set him off. She pulls an old receipt and a pen out of her clutch. She finishes writing her number with a small flourish and stares at the paper approvingly. She'll just have to find out later.

"_Artemis Crock._" Nancy, one of her least favorite ER nurses, calls her name from the beige door. Artemis grabs her clutch and stands, catching Lifeguard's attention.

"Need someone to hold your hand?" He raises a dumb eyebrow again, but this time, she smiles and places her crumpled up receipt in his good hand.

"I can handle it," she starts walking before she twists around and adds, "But if you can't, you know who to call."

"…_Ghostbusters_?"

She doesn't let herself laugh until she's safely beyond the waiting room.


	9. Chapter 9

**_vigilanteshadowhuntress asked: You should write a fic where Artemis runs into her ex in a public place and he's with his fiancée. In order to make it look like she moved on she pretends she's dating Wally and they kinda end up sticking with it to keep up the ruse-just a suggestion_**

**_~o~_**

Watching Lian for her sister is always an opportunity to get fresh air and exercise. The two year old fusses at the library, in her apartment's gross laundry room, in her sleep, during Sesame Street, and is especially wiggly after dinner. The only time the baby stays still and quiet is when Artemis takes her for a jog in the park a few blocks from her apartment. The jogging stroller Jade brings every time she drops by (unexpectedly as always) is bulky and it's a chore getting it up and down the staircase with Lian on one hip but Artemis knows her niece really enjoys being pushed around the park and the weather is still nice so she doesn't complain.

Not that she would, really. Jade dropping Lian off at her apartment at random has become something of a welcome distraction for her, after her drawn out breakup with Cameron a year ago left her more than a little pissed at the universe. Lian is a ball of sunshine when she wants to be and Artemis could use a little more of that in her life.

Artemis leans over the stroller and makes a face at her giggling niece as she stops to catch her breath. The guy who's been lapping them ever since they arrived laps them again. The walking path around the park isn't very wide and he has to step in the grass to avoid the stroller wheels. Lian reaches for Artemis' drooping ponytail and tugs, hard. She giggles when Artemis yelps. After untangling the baby's hand from her long locks, she redoes her ponytail and survey's the park. _  
_

_No. Fucking. Way. _

Her eyes must be playing tricks on her, because there's no way in hell Cameron Mahkent is hand in hand with Crystal Frost walking _straight towards her_. Artemis curses repeatedly, in her mind of course. Lian hears enough accidental cursing at home. This is going to be _so_ uncomfortable.

_Okay, Artemis, be cool. _She straightens her posture and holds the handles of the stroller tightly._Maybe he won't notice you. _

"No way! _Artemis_? Is that you?" Cameron waves.

_Of course he would_. She takes a breath and looks behind her. Track-star is coming up on them again. She waves at Cameron and Crystal before she turns and sends Track-star a pleading glance. He doesn't notice. He does take notice of her when she throws her arm out and clotheslines him. He chokes a bit. She rolls her eyes. _Pay more attention to where you're going, doofus. _

She pats his arm, "Stop for a sec, babe."

He pulls his earbuds out and she laughs loudly, as though remembering an old joke they shared, before he can open his mouth to ask why she stopped him.

"You were going to lap us _again_?" She shakes her head and quickly pulls his face close to hers. She _knows_ the others are watching.

"That's my ex. Be my boyfriend," she whispers as her lips brush against his cheek. She feels him hesitate for a moment before he nods. When she pulls back, he has a broad smile on his face.

"_Well_," he drawls, "_Girlfriend_, you should know I'm no cheap date."

Cameron and Crystal are almost upon them when she rolls her eyes.

"I'll owe you one, now please, _play it up." _She whispers through her teeth as the other couple greets them.

"Artemis, wow," Cameron laughs, "How funny, running into you like this."

"Yeah, pretty random," Artemis laughs uneasily, and she nods at Crystal, "Nice to see you again, Crys."

Crystal smirks, "Always a pleasure, Arty."

_Ew._ Artemis loses the polite smile.

Cameron breaks the tense silence, "Aren't you going to introduce your friend?"

_Oh shit, I don't know his name. _Artemis loops her arm in Track-star's and pulls him forward.

"Cameron, Crystal, this is my boyfriend-"

Track-star quickly extends his hand to Cameron, "Wally West. Nice to meet you."

They shake hands and for a second, the only thing Artemis can think is '_His name's really Wally?'. _Luckily, Lian saves her by deciding that they've been stationary for too long, and she starts fussing in the stroller.

"We should get going," Wally mentions as he glances at her niece, "She doesn't look too happy."

Artemis could kiss him. Instead she fakes an apologetic sigh, "_Kids_. What are you gonna do- Sorry we can't stay and chat."

"Uh," Cameron stares at the stroller strangely as he says goodbye, "Okay, um, maybe we'll see you guys around."

"Maybe." Artemis nods and smiles as the other couple continues their walk. _Hopefully not. _

She lets out a sigh and gives Wally a grateful glance, "Thanks for the help."

"No problem," he shrugs, "It's not everyday I get to save a pretty damsel-in-distress."

Artemis snorts, "I'm no damsel."

"Sure looked like one a minute ago."

She smirks as she takes the brake off the stroller and quips, "I used you as a shield, doesn't that make me a knight?"

He's silent for a moment and when she starts walking, he follows (just like she knew he would).

"Go on a run with me tomorrow."

"What?" She raises a brow at him as they pick up their pace. Lian giggles when they go over some bumps.

"You totally owe me one." Wally grins as he jogs next to her. "That's my '_one_'."

She debates his proposition as they round the edge of the park. He's got that wholesome midwestern charm thing going for him and she's _always_ been a sucker for green eyes. She'll give him a chance. He's earned it.

"Alright." She agrees, "I'll be here at six. Now go away, '_boyfriend'_."

"Great," Wally laughs as he speeds up, but he makes sure she can hear him when he says, "Promise I won't lap you… _much_."


	10. Chapter 10

_**asblueasthetardis asked: Wally accidentally punching Artemis in the face because he gesticulates too wildly.**_

_**Post-Revelation, then skips to post-Insecurity.**_

_**~O~**_

"Look, all I'm saying is-," Wally jumps down from his soapbox (the coffee table), "We need a team picture."

"Wally," M'gann pulls up from her stretch and tilts her head, "We have a lot of pictures of the team. I'm making a scrapbook."

"I mean a formal team picture, you know? Not a bunch of cell phone pictures."

Conner looks up from petting Wolf and raises a brow as he asks, "You want us to take _professional_ pictures?"

"We just need _one_ picture." Wally holds up one finger, exasperated.

"When should we take this picture?" Kaldur glances at the clock on the wall.

"_Soon_."

Robin looks at his watch and shakes his head, "Not today. Black Canary's going to be here in six minutes."

"Do we have to take a picture?"

"It's _necessary_."

Robin points at his friend's arm, "You want your cast in the picture?"

"Okay," Artemis swings around in her swivel chair, rubs at her aching temple, and snaps, "Everyone stop saying 'picture'. It's starting to sound like it's not a real word. We'll take it Sunday night."

"_Actually_," Wally uses his good hand to rub his neck, "I kind of don't want the cast in the pictu-"

"Don't say it." Artemis cuts him off, warning laced in her words. The entire room holds its breath. M'gann and Conner look at each other while Kaldur watches Artemis' hands curl into fists. Robin sees the smirk before he can stop it.

"Pict-"

"Stop."Artemis clips.

"P-"

Her eyes flash dangerously, "No."

Wally takes a dramatic breath, "Let'swaitafewweekstotakethe**picture**'causethisisgoingtoimmortalizeourteamforeverandgenerationsfromnowpeoplewilllookatthat**picture**andaspiretoreachourlevelsofawesomeandnooneisgoingtothinkawesomewhentheyseea**pictu**-"

He's lucky he's already using his super speed, because there's no way he could dodge the pencil she sends flying at his head otherwise.

Stupid archer aim.

-o-

-_December 14th_-

She doesn't want to be here. She doesn't want to take a team picture if she's 'Second-String Archery Girl: selfish, insecure, suspected mole'. She doesn't want that immortalized at all. Red Arrow's off the grid- probably trying to prove she's the mole- so it's just the seven of them, lined up in front of the command center, waiting for Red Tornado to set up the camera.

Kid Grudge insisted on using an ancient camera because he thought it would be 'more authentic'. She knows he just wants it to look like the one the League took when they first got together. That's why he wanted the thing in the first place. Artemis wipes a nonexistent piece of lint off of her arm guard as Robin steps out of line to help Tornado. She's kind of hoping they get called out for a mission before they figure it out. The kind where she gets to let out her pent up frustration.

Honestly, Kaldur standing between them is the only thing keeping her from strangling Kid Complainer.

"C'mon, guys," He gestures at the tripod, "We still have time to rethink placement. We could have four in the back, three in front- give off the illusion we actually get along."

_The only person you don't get along with is me._ Artemis scowls before her expression saddens. She huffs before looking at the rocky ceiling.

"It took us fifteen minutes to get situated in an order you approved of the first time." Conner points out with a sigh.

"Trust me-" Wally steps out of line, "This'll look way cooler. Okay, everyone spread out."

Artemis folds her arms over her chest as she shuffles to the left. Kaldur gets stopped when Wally drags him to the center.

"Tallest in the middle." His voice speeds up as he rushes to pull Zatanna into place, "Zatanna,you'reshort,getinfront."

He tries to place everyone in a nice cluster, but then he realizes he forgot to place himself in the bunch and asks them to reassemble. Again.

By the time the camera is ready, they've been moved three more times and have ended up in their original positions. She doesn't want to be here.

"Can we just get this over with?" Artemis asks with a groan, and Conner, on the other end of the line, nods his head. Wolf is getting stir-crazy. It's time for his walk.

Red Tornado holds up a hand to silence them, and says, "I will take the photograph in ten seconds."

Artemis straightens her posture and turns her shoulder so her ponytail doesn't cover her arrows. She tries to smile, but she's not feeling it. With her father breathing down her neck to switch sides, maybe taking a picture with the good guys isn't such a good idea. _Stop_, she scolds herself, _You're not him. You're not Jade. He's wrong._

She smiles wider. _You belong here. _

"Artemis." Red Tornado turns to her, and she bites her lip when the others break their poses and look at her too, "Is something wrong?"

"_What_? No- why?" She blinks.

"Your expression was… unusual."

She hears Wally muttering to Kaldur, "That's just her face."

She so doesn't want to be here. She swallows down a scathing retort and apologizes, "Uh- I was thinking about something. I'm focused now. Let's do this."

"Okay, ten seconds."

_Ten._

_Nine. _

_Ei-_

"Wait!"

The group collectively groans when Wally puts his hand up and jumps out of line.

"Everyone stay put, I'll be right back." He disappears from sight and, judging by the air current he creates, he's heading straight to the souvenir room.

_If he brings that tracer, I'm killing him_. Artemis decides, as she steps out of line to make a face at Zatanna. The magician just shakes her head.

"Okay," He skids to a stop in front of them, arms full, "I got one for everybody."

He starts at the opposite end of the line, handing M'gann a robotic eye, Conner a gorilla's beret, Zatanna a robot hand, Robin a Kobra hood, and Kaldur - Cheshire's mask. When he stops in front of her with a medical backpack strapped to his back, he pauses. She taps her foot until he begrudgingly hands her the arrow that she used to stop the Reds, wrapped in a piece of Count Vertigo's cloak that he ripped off during their fight against the Injustice League.

She examines at the objects in her hands longer than she means to. Things had been okay then. _When did everything get so hard?_

Wally steps back into his spot but immediately backtracks, "Oh, shoot-"

"Stay." Artemis snaps and she jumps out of line to grab his suit before he can speed away. Unfortunately, he was already in running form when her fingers pulled him around. His fists are up- and blurry-

She feels the punch a few seconds after it happens. Her cheek pulses as she throws him to the ground hard and horror spreads across his face when she glowers at him. _Good. Be afraid._ The rest of the team take tiny steps away, and she's pretty sure Robin and Zatanna are '_oooo_'-ing.

_Oh, he's dead_. She tucks the arrow and cape fragment into her quiver and pulls out a nice boxing glove arrow she got from Ollie.

The picture Red takes of them at that moment is the one they put on the wall.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Anon asked: Ooh! Spitfire prompt for thunderstorm cuddles(:**_

_**~o~**_

_**AU**_

When Artemis glances out the window of her sixth story office, a far-away flash of lightning lights up the growing grey clouds. Her eyes narrow until the sound of thunder reaches her ears. She checks the clock on her desktop. _I can disappear a few minutes early. _

She shuts down her computer and packs some papers into a folder before she stuffs it into her desk. The door to her office opens without warning.

"Artemis, it's starting to- _oh_," Donna smiles at her and leans against the doorframe, "Good, you're leaving. I was just about to let you out."

"Yeah," Artemis nods and pushes her chair in, before reaching putting on her coat and following Donna out the door and through the hall to the elevator. She pushes the elevator call button and continues, "The storm is moving in a bit faster than I thought it would."

Donna worriedly asks, "Is he home?"

"Should be." Artemis taps her foot and fiddles with the clasp of her bag. _I hope he didn't stop to get dog food. _

Donna lets out a breath, "Good."

The elevator dings and Artemis tells her friend to drive safely before the doors can close and she travels down to the parking level. She digs her keys out of her bag, along with her phone. With one hand she unlocks the screen and with the other she presses the lock button on her keys twice so that she can find her car in the mess of a parking lot. She can hear the sound of light rain echoing near the exit. She walks towards her car and opens the seven unread text messages on her phone.

_Megs_

_1:03pm- Brunch Sunday? My flight gets in pretty early. :)_

She'll reply to that later. She opens the other six with a few flicks of her finger.

_Wallman *heart eyes emoji*_

_4:07pm- I made us a fort in the living room._

_4:10pm- We have to sleep in it because Brucely claimed our bed _

_4:17pm- he's being an asshole when I try to move him. _

_4:18pm- Also, dog food supplies can last another few days. Didn't stop._

_4:37pm- I think he knows and that's why he won't be nice to me._

She unlocks her car door and gets inside just as a little window pops up on her phone.

_Wallman *heart eyes emoji*_

_4:54pm- I warmed up that chili Oliver sent over but it's not as good without you here to make fun of my spicy-food-tears_

She starts the car before she quickly replies, _Just got out. On my way. I'll be there asap. _

She tosses her phone into the cup holder and makes her way out of the underground parking lot. The city traffic hasn't picked up yet- but it will, and with the sudden storm approaching, more people will be rushing home. Her fingers tap against the steering wheel as she drives through the light drizzle with little on her mind but the glimpse of lightning she saw from her window. She has to get home. The universe seems to agree. She catches every green light until she reaches their new, little house on Carnelian Street. It only takes her forty minutes.

She can tell the lights are on in the living room even though the curtains are closed, just like she knew they'd be. They always are on days like this.

As soon as her car locks, she sprints to the front door and gets inside before she can get soaked by the heavy downpour. She tosses her bag onto a table before she peeks into the living room.

He's sitting on the couch in his pajamas, with a bowl of chili in one hand and a spoon in the other, looking at the curtains like they're about to come to life and strangle him. She takes off her coat as she enters the room. There are blankets everywhere- probably every one they own- and the chairs from the dining room are arranged into a neat circle to form a makeshift fort in the middle of the room.

"Hey," she sits down on the opposite side of the couch, pulls her hair out of its bun, and kicks her shoes off, before she asks, "Where's Brucely?"

Wally swallows as he puts the bowl on the coffee table and answers, "Sleeping on my pillow, getting dog drool all over it."

"He loves you." She laughs softly, examining him. He smiles, but the dark clouds outside add a heaviness to it that she doesn't like to see.

The first storms of the season are always the worst.

"Nice fort," she comments, just before a flash of lightning stuns them both into silence. It's the roaring thunder that follows that snaps her out of her stupor. She stands up as the lights flicker, and carefully whispers, "_Wally_-"

His fingers leave imprints on the couch cushions, she notices, as she pulls him up. His hands shake and she pulls them into her own.

"Wally, you with me?"

When he doesn't nod, she braces herself for a long night.

"C'mon, babe," she soothes, grabbing a few pillows from the floor and leading him down into the fort he made. She sets up the pillows and smiles as he lays down and turns towards her. His eyes are locked on hers and she lets out a tiny sigh of relief, before she says, "I'm going to check on Brucely and change, and then I'll be right back. Is that okay?"

He nods and she gives him a reassuring peck on the cheek. She slips out of the fort and rushes through her nightly routine. She makes sure to text Donna, Might take a personal day tomorrow, before she checks in on her sleeping pet and changes into some shorts and an old shirt. She turns off the lights in the house as she moves through the halls, leaving the one in the bathroom on to give her a little light at night, just in case. Another bit of thunder rocks the house, and she makes sure the front door is locked before running back to the fort. Wally is sitting up waiting for her when she opens the entrance blanket.

"Hey," she slips in, pulling him down until he's laying beside her, "You with me?"

He turns over and smiles bravely, "'Course I am."

"Cool, cause I have to tell you what Lian did at preschool yesterday and you know I don't like repeating myself." She scoots closer to him, moves an arm over his torso, and tells her story, one that's only a little exaggerated. Her story is interrupted by thunder at random moments, but she picks up where she leaves off without pause, tracing circles on his chest as she brings up another happy story about their friends from that vacation in D.C. The sound of the pouring rain outside serves as background noise for the occasional breath she takes between tales, and when Wally begins unconsciously twisting the ends of her hair in his fingers, she starts to relax. _He's okay._

They ride out the storm in the fort all night, and when things get rough, Artemis traces kisses along the branching scars that mar his skin from the tip of his hand to the hollow of his neck, and things seem alright again.

The first storms of the season are always the worst, but they're both getting better at this.


End file.
